2006 College Football Season

Not a lot of big matchups this week, but a couple of interesting games going. Georgia survived a scare against Colorado, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter after pulling the freshman starting quarterback Stafford. Penn State was keeping it close with Ohio State until throwing a pair of late interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Auburn, playing lowly Buffalo, didn't play several of their better players and squeaked out the 38-7 win. And the end of the Alabama-Arkansas game was just amazing, in a pathetic sort of way. Choose your criticism on this one. Tie game in the fourth quarter and Alabama driving the ball down the field but once they get inside Arkansas' 30, they play it ultra-conservative, playing for the field goal instead of the touchdown. The get as close as a 1st and goal at the 10, but end up with a 14 play, 9 minute drive that ends with a missed field goal. Fast forward to overtime and after Arkansas throws an interception on the opening possession of the OT, Alabama plays it ultra-conservative AGAIN and plays for the field goal, which in this situation is not necessarily a bad idea, since a field goal would win the game. Well, surprise surprise, their kicker misses his 3rd field goal of the game, wide right each time. Time to go to the second overtime. Finally Alabama decides to try to put the ball in the end zone, and they are successful. But wait, they have to kick an extra point. The kicker misses the extra point, wide right. This sets up Arkansas to score a touchdown and kick the extra point to come away with the win. Their blue chipper freshman quarterback, Mitch Mustain, looked horrible late in the game. He had the deer in headlights look in his eyes, which is understandable considering this time last year he was a high school quarterback. Well, he actually stepped it up and put it in the end zone. Extra point good, Arkansas wins, Alabama's kicker is crying on the sideline.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is playing Michigan State and gave up a quick 17 points before finding their way into the end zone. Florida just scored a touchdown at the end of the first half to go up 12-7 on Kentucky, who hasn't looked too bad today. Florida has had two extra points blocked tonight, which is never good. We'll see how it plays out.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Notre Dame is playing bad again. I thought that they would get their shit together for this week's game, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

xman25

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Damn. Well, Arizona gave USC hell. Almost held Southern Cal under 20 points for the first time in 5 years. The tackling just fell apart at the end of the game and a big injury led to a very late TD (muffed punt by a backup returner) at a point where Arizona still had a fighting chance.

I'll take a 3-0 halftime against USC at this point. Arizona's gonna be good next year, I think. I think we're looking at a bowl game this year, too, if we keep playin' like this.

Nothing else major today (so far). It looks like Boston College's magic finally ran out with a last minute TD from NC State.

Double Post:
Gah, and there goes Notre Dame. Poor Michigan State.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Notre Dame has just scored three touchdowns in like 6 minutes to take the lead. Wow, just wow. Quinn looked a whole lot better the last two drives, and then the defense steps it up and returns a pick for a touchdown for the 3 point lead.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

You know, some weeks I really hate being an MSU fan.

FELIPE NO

Like when ND comes up with a seriously ridiculous interception with 24 seconds left to end the game.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Like when Michigan State throws away one or two 20 point leads each season. They blew it at Michigan and lost in overtime two years ago, they lost at Ohio State last year, and now they did it against Notre Dame this year. The one thing you can always count on them to do is throw away a huge lead when they're getting a big upset.

And what the hell at that Notre Dame interception. That shouldn't even happen.

How ya doing, buddy?

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! Notre Dame won 40-37!!!! I thought they were done for. I prayed to God that Notre Dame would make a come back and they did. I'm serious. Thank God for miracles. This will probably be the only miracle Notre Dame gets all season.

xman25

There's nowhere I can't reach.

So much for hoping for a Notre Dame loss two weeks in a row ;__;

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Fucking John L. Smith. I'm just glad that I was across the field from him so that my urges to throw stuff at his head were thwarted by reality. He REALLY needs to get fired.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by xman25

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! Notre Dame won 40-37!!!! I thought they were done for. I prayed to God that Notre Dame would make a come back and they did. I'm serious. Thank God for miracles. This will probably be the only miracle Notre Dame gets all season.

xman25

Maybe that's what Notre Dame is overrated: pollsters trying to get on God's good side.

No, seriously. I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Notre Dame back in the top 5 after needing a complete miracle against yet another Big-10 team that scored at least 37 points on them just to squeak by in the last few minutes. Hell, even Idaho was only down a touchdown to Michigan State on the road with 9 minutes left.

I was speaking idiomatically.

If Notre Dame were to win the national championship would people still say that Notre Dame is overrated? I'll grant everyone that a number two ranking was a bit high, but I think that no matter how well Notre Dame does there will always be people who say that Notre Dame is overrated. There seems to be people who hate the fact that the school exists or that they have a football team. I have a deep hate for the Yankees, but that doesn't change the fact that they have done alright for themselves over the years.

xman25

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

How would Notre Dame even get to the national championship? There is no way they are in the Top 2; there is no way they even deserve to be in the Top 10 after the last two weeks, but because they began soooooo overrated, they will likely sneak back in. See, if Notre Dame had begun the season around #15th (like they probably should be) they'd be ranked about #20th in this coming poll, which is pretty close to accurate after stinking up the joint two weeks in a row.

For example, Notre Dame will be ranked probably at least 4 places higher than Clemson. Clemson's one loss came to a team in the Top 25 (or just outside of it), on the road, in overtime, from a blocked extra point. Clemson also went on the road and completely blew out Florida State.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, nearly got beat at Georgia Tech, at Michigan State, and completely got blown out at home by Michigan. Notre Dame's one good win, at home against Penn State, looked good until Penn State showed that they aren't any good at all and have no offense.

The difference between Notre Dame and the Yankees is that the MLB championship isn't decided by votes or a crazy computer system, but wins and losses in a fair system followed by a playoff. Notre Dame gets special clauses written into the BCS system just for them that gives them a special advantage that no other team enjoys. Votes are a huge, huge portion of the national championship, and the fact that people who are voting have bias (and not just for ND, the coaches vote for their own teams and conferences, like when Mack Brown completely fucked over Cal), means that the system cannot be fair.

I will stop hoping for Notre Dame to fail when they have to play by the same rules as everyone else.

Most amazing jew boots

New polls:

Week 5 AP Top 25
1. Ohio State (59) 4-0 1,617
2. Auburn (2) 4-0 1,513
3. USC (2) 3-0 1,491
4. West Virginia (2) 4-0 1,404
5. Florida 4-0 1,363
6. Michigan 4-0 1,318
7. Texas 3-1 1,196
8. Louisville 4-0 1,166
9. LSU 3-1 1,114
10. Georgia 4-0 972
11. Virginia Tech 4-0 945
12. Notre Dame 3-1 879
13. Iowa 4-0 864
14. Oregon 3-0 805
15. Tennessee 3-1 658
16. Oklahoma 3-1 613
17. TCU 3-0 563
18. Clemson 3-1 529
19. Florida State 3-1 510
20. California 3-1 508
21. Nebraska 3-1 327
22. Boise State 4-0 226
23. Rutgers 4-0 117
24. Georgia Tech 3-1 77
25. Missouri 4-0 70

Week 5 USA Today Poll
1. Ohio State (59) 4-0 1,570
2. USC (2) 3-0 1,489
3. Auburn (2) 4-0 1,441
4. West Virginia 4-0 1,357
5. Florida 4-0 1,294
6. Michigan 4-0 1,239
7. Texas 3-1 1,155
8. Louisville 4-0 1,105
9. Georgia 4-0 1,079
10. LSU 3-1 963
10. Virginia Tech 4-0 963
12. Oregon 3-0 854
13. Iowa 4-0 802
14. Notre Dame 3-1 758
15. TCU 3-0 647
16. Oklahoma 3-1 615
17. Florida State 3-1 509
18. Tennessee 3-1 504
19. Clemson 3-1 477
20. California 3-1 452
21. Nebraska 3-1 289
22. Boise State 4-0 257
23. Rutgers 4-0 124
24. Texas Tech 3-1 81
25. Boston College 3-1 78
------------------
I would like to see those clauses. I won't believe them until I see them. The Yankees, how many times, by how many preseason publication, over the past few years were the Yankees picked to win the World Series? Answer: a lot. They were picked to win because they are the almighty Yankees. They had the most good players and the highest salery. 2001 through 2005 they have not won a single World Series and yet each year they are picked to win the World Series. I think it would be safe to say that the Yankees are sooo overrated at the start of each season, well at least the 2001 through 2005 seasons, I don't know how this year is going to turn out.

xman25

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by xman25

I would like to see those clauses. I won't believe them until I see them.

Originally Posted by The Observer

ND clause is cause for alarm
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer


The best thing to happen to Notre Dame this weekend would be to walk out of Colorado Springs with a win against Air Force. The second-best thing to happen to them would be walk out of Colorado Springs with a loss to Air Force.

In fact, if Notre Dame could pick a game it had to lose this season, that game would be Air Force.

That's because of a little-known clause built into the Bowl Championship Series contract commonly referred to as the "Notre Dame" clause. Or, more appropriately, the "Notre Dame is special and you're not" clause.

The way the BCS works is that the winners of the six major conferences — ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC — automatically advance to one of the four biggest bowls, where the payout per team is $10 million. The other two teams are usually at-large selections, and to be eligible for an at-large selection, a school must be ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings.

There's also wording built into the BCS contract that says any team which finishes in the top six but doesn't win their conference automatically earns an at-large selection. And here's where a shrewd Notre Dame administrator stepped in.

If a team from outside one of the six major conferences finishes in the top six, like Air Force, for example, they still get a free ride into a BCS bowl. And if that happens, and if Notre Dame has nine wins or finishes in the top 12 of the final BCS standings, the Irish are automatically in, too.

That's a load of ifs that have to happen. But the whole "Notre Dame" clause is basically a load in itself.

And that brings us back to Saturday's game against Air Force. A Notre Dame win will undoubtedly help them. A Notre Dame loss will turn every Irish fan into a Falcons fans. Because if Air Force finishes in the top six, and Notre Dame manages to win just three of its five remaining games, the Irish get to sneak into the BCS through the back door.

If you're a Notre Dame fan, you love this fine print. If you're not, then you've got one more reason to boycott NBC on Saturdays.

Admittedly, the chance of such a scenario developing seems highly unlikely. Air Force has to run the table and count on top teams in the six major conferences to start losing badly if it wants to crack the top six.

The fact that such a chance exists is ridiculous. And the only thing that benefits from such an arrangement is Notre Dame's coffers.

Sure, Notre Dame can creep in even with one loss, but they still have to face a pair of ranked teams in Florida State and USC. And Boston College isn't a guaranteed win, either. But the Irish could conceivably lose two of those games — finishing the season with a mighty .750 winning percentage — and qualify for a bowl game.

If that happens, Tyrone Willingham will be the first loser. For a man who pushes his team to win every game, every Saturday, getting into a BCS bowl with three losses would be a slap in the face. He'd have to field questions about whether Notre Dame really deserved the slot. And deep down inside, he might wonder if his team deserved the bid, too.

Notre Dame would lose next. For the players who spent the entire season restoring prestige to a long-dormant football program, they'd watch it slip away as soon as the Irish signed a contract to play in a BCS bowl. Then again, the players are on scholarship, so one more free ride might not hurt them that much.

Finally, college football loses yet again. No. 1 Miami and No. 3 Virginia Tech are slated to play each other the final game of the season in a game that will probably determine the Big East champion. Whoever loses will have the privilege of playing in a second-tier bowl on New Year's Day and will get back to their hotels in time to watch Notre Dame play in a BCS bowl.

Granted, a Vegas bookie would love the odds against such a scenario developing. A lot has to happen before Notre Dame gets its special clause invoked and more deserving schools watch their bids get revoked. And with a win Saturday, the Irish can put the whole debate to rest, sending the Notre Dame clause back into the corner with alien sightings, Kennedy rumors and other conspiracy theories.

But if they lose, watch for the Irish to start paying closer attention to a military school in the Rocky Mountains.

Many laughed at the possibility of Notre Dame and Air Force playing each other with perfect records on the line. Imagine what they'll do if Notre Dame gets into the BCS by holding onto Air Force's jet.

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Contact Andrew Soukup a asoukup@nd.edu.

http://www.nd.edu/~observer/10182002/Sports/1.html

Even if it is a few years old, I'd think a Notre Dame source would qualify as acceptable for you?

Originally Posted by xman25

The Yankees, how many times, by how many preseason publication, over the past few years were the Yankees picked to win the World Series? Answer: a lot.

How many times have the Yankees advanced to the postseason and the World Series based on the opinions and votes of sportswriters who are awed by the Yankees aura of past achievements? Answer: never.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well Notre Dame is "special" just like the Yankees. Anyway, the clause is another good reason to get rid of the BCS and the way college football decides who is the champion each season. Get rid of the bowl games and put in some kind of playoff system. Don't all (or most) of the other college sports have some kind of playoff system. One thing, if I am reading the article right, the clause only comes into play if Notre Dame wins nine games and/or if they are high enough in the BCS standings. If Notre Dame doesn't win enough, you people don't have anything to worry about. 2001 through 2006 Notre Dame has played in a BCS game twice, the Fiesta Bowl each time. 1/1/2001 against Oregon State and 1/2/2006 against Ohio State. They lost both. I'm wondering, can anyone complain about Notre Dame's schedule?
----------
A DIFFERENT KIND OF POLL (from USATODAY.com, dated 8/31/06)

The USA TODAY coaches preseason poll reconfigured by strength of non-conference schedule. The Jeff Sagarin preseason rankings were used to find an average ranking for non-conference games. Teams play as few as three and as many as five non-conference opponents. Notre Dame's ranking is based on all 12 games since it is independent:

Rank, team (poll spot) Avg. rating of opponents
1. Southern California (t-3) 30
2. Notre Dame (t-3) 41.75
3. Ohio State (1) 49.25
3. Oregon (20) 54.7
5. Tennessee (23) 58.5
6. California (12) 60.3
7. Iowa (17) 65.75
8. Georgia (14) 66.75
9. Oklahoma (5) 71.25
10. Louisville (13) 76.4
11. West Virginia (7) 80.6
12. Nebraska (22) 84.0
13. Florida (8) 85.25
14. Michigan (15) 85.75
15. Florida State (10) 87.0
15. TCU (21) 87.0
17. LSU (9) 90.75
18. Penn State (19) 97.75
19. Texas (2) 101.75
20. Texas Tech (25) 102.75
21. Virginia Tech (16) 104.75
22. Clemson (18) 107.25
23. Miami (Fla.) (11) 116.5
24. Auburn (6) 118.25
25. Alabama (24) 127.75
----------
Notre Dame always seems to have a really tough schedule. I agree that the clause is stupid, but so is the BCS system and the bowl games. A playoff system is needed. About my Yankees statement, I wasn't saying that the opinions of writers helped the Yankees get into the playoffs, I was saying how overrated the Yankees have been the last few years. On paper the Yankees always look great, but on the field they havn't lived up to their potential during the past few years.

xman25

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Letter to the UGA football team:

Dear sirs,
What the FUCK were you doing for 3 quarters on Saturday??? you want to make me shit my pants against COLORADO????? before saturday's game, they were ranked 115th OVERALL in OFFENSE!!!! where was the stingy "D" that i'm so used to????? Consider yourselves lucky!!!! thanks to Joe Cox coming off the bench, he single-handedly kept you undefeated headed to Oxford, Miss.
PLEASE do not overlook any opponents no matter they have!!!! take NOTHING for granted.
I do feel bad for Mississippi this weekend. Coach Richt will tear you a new one this week and all the anger and pain you'll build up will be felt by the Miss football team.

Thanks for you time!

PS
Cox's 2nd TD was a beauty though!!! don't know if Stafford would have made that nice touch. (now we'll have a QB controversy.... shit.)

How ya doing, buddy?

Notre Dame's schedule strength right now, after Saturday's games, is #1, but, there are a few things we need to look at when arriving at that:

1) Schedule strength matters little until near the end of the season. The body of work is very small, so the accuracy of schedule strength is also very small. Only 16 teams are being taken into account when factoring it. And, as Sagarin says, the first few weeks are so unpredicable that starting ranks are taken into account as well.

2) 2-2 Penn State's computer ranking is flawed because of this same notion. They have the #4 schedule strength, but have looked awful and will be ranked in the computer top 30 until their body of work finally gets some influence over their schedule. Which inflates ND's rankings (this logic is part of the reason why Ken Pomeroy's own rankings are so much better than the RPI in college basketball).

3) This isn't something that is a knock against ND, but computer rankings and the BCS: Jeff Sagarin says that his best predictor cannot be used in the BCS because it takes into account score margin (as does his usual rankings, which aren't a predictor but a rating of past success). ND's ranking in the BCS formula is #7, ranking in the ratings is #14, and ranking in the predicted standings is #24.

That's not much to say, but I'd say the closest ranking to how Notre Dame has ACTUALLY played is probaly the #24. It would be easy to pick out #23 teams that would have a better than even chance of beating Notre Dame on a neutral field. It speaks more to the unnatural inflation of Notre Dame by voters, which is another signal that the BCS is bad, ND's special treatment is bad, voters are bad, and computers are bad.

Lock a committee in a room on Dec. 5th and have them add 2 teams to the 6 BCS conference winners and set seeds for a playoff. Works in basketball. And no special treatment for ND. If they want an automatic berth, they can join a conference and win it, just like everyone else.

Originally Posted by xman25

Anyway, the clause is another good reason to get rid of the BCS and the way college football decides who is the champion each season. Get rid of the bowl games and put in some kind of playoff system.

The problem would still exist.

See, the conference winners of the BCS conferences would be guaranteed a spot (as they should be), and Notre Dame would still whine and complain about how they should be guaranteed a spot above all else. Perhaps ND would get an automatic spot if they finished in the top 6 of the rankings, while teams from any other conference would have to finish in the top 4.

Originally Posted by xman25

One thing, if I am reading the article right, the clause only comes into play if Notre Dame wins nine games and/or if they are high enough in the BCS standings. If Notre Dame doesn't win enough, you people don't have anything to worry about. 2001 through 2006 Notre Dame has played in a BCS game twice, the Fiesta Bowl each time. 1/1/2001 against Oregon State and 1/2/2006 against Ohio State. They lost both. I'm wondering, can anyone complain about Notre Dame's schedule?

Here's the thing.

Notre Dame's clause trumps all other clauses after BCS champions. And Notre Dame's clause gives them an advantage: they can be lower than another team in the rankings and guaranteed the spot! The bowl wouldn't even have the option of taking the team that is ranked higher. You're telling us that it has to do with Notre Dame winning enough, but the "enough" part is the issue here.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, Notre Dame beat Purdue 35-21. The final line for the game was Notre Dame to win by 14 and they did win by 14. The team looked better this week than they did last week. More consistent. Notre Dame has Stanford next week.

xman25

I was speaking idiomatically.

New rankings:

Week 6 AP Top 25
1. Ohio State (62) 5-0 1,622
2. Auburn (1) 5-0 1,498
3. USC 4-0 1,470
4. West Virginia (2) 4-0 1,395
5. Florida 5-0 1,393
6. Michigan 5-0 1,342
7. Texas 4-1 1,204
8. Louisville 4-0 1,165
9. LSU 4-1 1,157
10. Georgia 5-0 968
11. Oregon 4-0 946
12. Notre Dame 4-1 921
13. Tennessee 4-1 824
14. Oklahoma 3-1 735
15. Clemson 4-1 689
16. California 4-1 633
17. Florida State 3-1 548
18. Georgia Tech 4-1 539
19. Iowa 4-1 444
20. Boise State 5-0 353
21. Virginia Tech 4-1 339
22. Nebraska 4-1 325
23. Missouri 5-0 208
24. Rutgers 5-0 178
25. Boston College 4-1 52

Week 6 USA Today Poll
1. Ohio State (62) 5-0 1,574
2. USC 4-0 1,475
3. Auburn (1) 5-0 1,418
4. West Virginia 4-0 1,366
5. Florida 5-0 1,309
6. Michigan 5-0 1,277
7. Texas 4-1 1,178
8. Louisville 4-0 1,140
9. Georgia 5-0 1,039
10. LSU 4-1 1,038
11. Oregon 4-0 946
12. Notre Dame 4-1 851
13. Oklahoma 3-1 706
14. Tennessee 4-1 673
15. Clemson 4-1 657
16. Florida State 3-1 601
17. California 4-1 588
18. Virginia Tech 4-1 421
19. Iowa 4-1 418
20. Georgia Tech 4-1 347
21. Boise State 5-0 344
22. Nebraska 4-1 326
23. Rutgers 5-0 192
24. Texas Tech 4-1 141
25. Missouri 5-0 136
----------

xman25

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

OK....... now i'm worried. Ole Miss isn't a bad team, but definitely not top tier. For Georgia to win 14-9 is a travesty. i'm going to the Tenn game this saturday night in Athens and i'm really worried now. if UGA plays the way they've played the past 2 weeks, they'll lose. the run defense stinks and the offense is inconsistant at best. Fortunately, Lumpkin is looking good at the right time, so i'm sure he'll get the start Saturday night (ESPN 7:45pm)

How ya doing, buddy?

When does the BCS ranking come out? I thought it was like the 5th week of the season or something.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Hey! I made it onto Sports Illustrated's website in the college football section!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...mailbag/1.html

Quote:

It looks like Tucson's love affair with Mike Stoops is coming to an end. Seeing someone like Tyrone Willingham rebuild Washington in a little over a year while Arizona is still stinking it up 2 1/2 years after Stoops took over has Wildcats fans sounding like they did in the Mackovic years. Any chance that Arizona turns it around? Any chance that Mike Stoops keeps his job?
--Mike, Tucson, Ariz.

Coach Stoops, this isn't you, is it? The beginning of his e-mail address does say "bluemikey."

Without question, Arizona has been one of the biggest disappointments so far. After the promise QB Willie Tuitiama showed as a freshman and with the recruiting success Stoops has had the past couple years, I really thought this was the season when the Wildcats would turn the corner. But no, they're pretty much awful, ranking 86th nationally in total defense and 109th in total offense. I don't think Stoops is in any danger of losing his job before next season -- he did step into a massive rebuilding situation due to the colossal disaster that was the short-lived Mackovic era -- but he definitely needs to make some changes, starting first and foremost with his offense.

It's into year three, and the Wildcats are still completely inept offensively, even more so than the past two years. Part of that, of course, is they're missing star tailback Mike Bell and are inexperienced on the line, but much of the blame falls on coordinator Mike Canales' shoulders. Arizona simply has no offensive identity. The defense, despite what the statistics indicate, isn't that bad. 'Zona held high-flying BYU to 13 points and USC to 20. But when your offense is incapable of producing first downs, it's inevitable that your defense is going to wear down and give up big plays. The Wildcats have the talent to still win a few games in the Pac-10, but they have to get some semblance of production from their offense, because you can't count on 16-13 wins in the Pac-10.

Most amazing jew boots

Good for you man. I made it in the Houston Chronicle once, the letter section in X-MEN: Deadly Genesis #6, and a Halle Berry official fansite newsletter.

xman25

How ya doing, buddy?

Huge upset today with unranked Arkansas beat number two Auburn 27-10. Auburn was a 15 point favorite. Notre Dame won over Stanford 31-10.

xman25

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.